Photograph
by chocoyum4
Summary: Max has gone back to her first real home. She's having trouble moving on, but when she finds an old photo album will it help her? Songfic to Nickleback's Photograph lryics are changed a bit.


**I don't own M.R. or the song Photograph by Nickleback. Warning: I changed the lyrics a bit to fit the story better. Enjoy!**

**Photograph**

I landed softly near where are old house used to be. I hadn't been here in twenty years. Everything seemed to just stand still. I saw the field where Iggy and Gazzy used to conduct their experiments was still void of grass and the plants surrounding it had a slight burnt sickly look about them.

Then I moved towards the house. The Erasers had lied about torching the place. It stood there still after twenty years of neglect. I opened the door and stood there. Then I took a deep breath and smelled the mustiness of the place, but also the smells of a much younger flock. I looked around the room remembering…

That's when I saw it. An old photo album, I picked it up and began flipping through the pictures…

_Look at this photograph_

_Every time I do it makes me laugh_

_Why did our eyes get so red?_

_And what the heck is on Iggy's head? _

It was a picture of the entire flock goofing off. Jeb had taken it right before he left. I smiled remembering. Iggy had on a hat that Angel and Nudge had made out of flowers and sticks, and they were trying to get it back. Gazzy was in the background making strange faces and Fang had grabbed me around the waist and turned me upside down. It was one of the few times that he was full blown smiling.

_And this is where I grew up_

_I think time outa have fixed it up_

_I never knew how much we went without_

_And now these walls are crashing down._

I began to walk around our old E-shaped house. Stopping in rooms to see what they looked like now, and to remember. I stopped in Iggy and Gazzy's room. It was a miracle it hadn't blown up yet. I took a deep sniff; there was still the faint lingering smell of gun powder. I smiled and moved on to Angel and Nudges room. There's hadn't faired so well. The walls were beginning to crumble here and you could see where termites had eaten away some of the floor. I closed my eyes and pictured myself waking Angel up again. Seeing her big smile and bright blue eyes. Then I moved on to Fang's room. Not a single thing seemed to be out of place_. Just like a picture,_ I thought to myself. Next was mine. I was afraid to go in. to see what had changed or if things were exactly the same. I wasn't sure I could handle seeing my room destroyed like Angel and Nudges and I think I might end up crying if they were the same.

_What about that stupid School?_

_Most of the time had better things to do_

_Criminal record says I blew it up twice_

_Must have done it half a dozen times_

I remembered when the School had taken Angel. I remembered all my adventures taking them down. I remembered Iggy and Gazzy's faces at each of their achievements. I reached the door to my room.

I slowly opened the door to my room. The glass from my window was broken and I could hear the wind blowing through it. Pages fluttered and my moth eaten sheets rustled. Tears welled up in my eyes. _Why didn't I come back sooner? What would have changed if we have never had to leave?_

_I wonder if it's too late_

_Should I actually try to graduate?_

_Life's better now than it was back then_

_I bet I could finally get in_

Could I go to college? Could I actually _be _somebody other than a winged freak? I wanted it so badly. Fang said I could go if I wanted to he went and so did everyone else.

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Oh God I_

I dropped the photo album and sank to my knees. Tears began falling down my face. Everyone else had moved on so why couldn't I? Angel was a successful lawyer; Iggy and Gazzy were working in a lab and being paid to play with explosives. Nudge queen of the fashion world. She even made the five of us special clothing to accommodate with our wings. Fang was an artist. He was known all over the world for his paintings and drawings. There were people who even had debates about what his art meant. I knew of course, but who would think to ask me.

I was living with Fang part time, and I worked odd jobs or at the local grocery store. I didn't know what to do anymore. Before we were actually free I had dreams, but my job was to be the protector, the leader, the comforter, the mother figure, to be Max. Now that they were all grown up, and we didn't have to run anymore I didn't know who I was. They didn't need me, but I still needed them.

_Every memory of looking out the window  
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye._

I opened up the album again, and flipped through the pictures. A younger flock from a different time. Maybe it really was time for me to move on, but I couldn't seem to be able to let go.

_Every memory of walking out the front door_

_I found the photo of the flock that I was looking for_

_It's hard to say it, time to say it_

_Goodbye, goodbye._

I turned back to the photo of us all goofing off. We had such good times together. I hadn't seen any of them in forever. Not even Fang. He knew that I was going on a road trip and I hadn't told him when I would be back. Now I wasn't sure if I would go back. It was time to make something of myself. It was time for me to move on.

_Remember the old handshake_

_The code words we used to stay safe_

_All the white coats hated us_

_We used to really get on their nerves_

I smiled a little at the memory of when we were captured by ter Borscht. He hated our guts. I remembered all of our sarcastic comments. How I wish we had gotten a picture of his face!

_We used to listen to the radio_

_And sing along with every song we know_

_Said someday we'd find out how it feels_

_To sing along without any fear_

I remembered before Iggy had taken apart the radio how we would all sing loudly with our off-key voices, and then quickly turn off the radio to listen for footsteps. Iggy would make up his own lyrics to the songs sometimes too.

_Fang's the first boy I kissed_

_I was so nervous that I nearly missed_

_He's been doing well since then_

_I haven't seen him since I left when…_

I remembered our first actual kiss. When both of us had kind of sort of mutually agreed to it. I remembered the feelings of pure joy and knowing that everything would be alright. It's been two weeks since I've seen him. I haven't called or emailed or anything like I had promised. I wondered if he even still loved me like he used to. I know I did.

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Oh God I_

I pictured his face, and felt more tears slip down my cheeks for what was. I would never admit this to anyone, but I was so scared of the future that I almost wished I could go back to trying to save the world. That wouldn't be fair to my flock though. They were all happy. That's all that ever mattered.

_Every memory of looking out the window  
I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor  
It's hard to say it, time to say it  
Goodbye, goodbye._

I flipped to a different page in the album, and saw a picture someone had taken of me and Fang. We were about eleven years old and watching a movie I guess. Fang had his arm around me; and I had laid my head on his shoulder. We looked peaceful and happy.

_Every memory of walking out the front door_

_I found the photo of the flock that I was looking for_

_It's hard to say it, time to say it_

_Goodbye, goodbye._

Again I turned to the picture of all of us goofing off. And just sat there with tears slowly falling down my face remembering…

_I miss that time_

_I miss the faces _

_You can't erase _

_You can't replace it_

_I miss it now_

_I can't believe it_

_So hard to stay _

_Too hard to leave it_

I couldn't believe that I actually missed the times when we were running for our lives, and living out on the road. But they actually seemed better to me at that moment because I was with the people that I loved the most. Now, they were all grown up, and living like I had always dreamed they would.

_If I could relive those days_

_I know that one thing that would never change_

_Every memory of looking out the window_

_I had the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor_

_It's hard to say it, time to say it_

_Goodbye, goodbye_

I stood up and grabbed the album. It was time for me to leave. I didn't bother to dry my tears or even stop crying. No one was here to see me break down over what had been. I stepped out of my room for the very last time and closed the door behind me.

_Every memory of walking out the front door_

_I found the photo of the flock that I was looking for_

_It's hard to say it, time to say it_

_Goodbye, goodbye._

Then I walked out of the front door forever not bothering to look back at my past, for it was time to look at my future.

I heard something land behind me then strong arms came and wrapped around my waist. "I knew you would come here." A voice whispered in my ear then he turned me around and wiped the remaining tears off my cheeks. I stared up into his eyes and pulled the photo album up to where he could see it. He pulled me into a hug and whispered, "I'm so proud of you Max. I love you."

"I love you too." I whispered back. Then I showed him the first picture in the album and before we took off we looked through the whole thing. And I knew that I wasn't really alone, and not everyone had totally moved on.

_Look at this photograph_

_Every time I do it makes me laugh_

_Every time I do it makes me…_

**Just a little songfic that I had an idea for, and couldn't get out of my head =) Hope you liked it! **

**~chocoyum4~**


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